Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

In a land of shadows	By : Nuredhel Category: -Fourth Age to Modern times and beyond > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1448 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, it belongs to Tolkien, and i do not earn any money from this work of fiction, it is solely written for entertainment and not for profit at all.I do not own Lord of the Rings, it belongs to Tolkien,

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Chapter Ten: Children of the forest
In a time of darkness
In a time of death
Do not lose sight of hope and joy
Though fragile and dying
It is still there
Ravenne and Narriar suddenly was in a hurry to get ready, they got dressed and ate and both had a strange sensation of disbelief and awe. It was hard for them to keep their hands to themselves and Ravenne was unable to really think about anything else than the things that had happened to her. They didn’t need to pack much and so they were ready rather fast but their minds were not into it at all. Ravenne stared at her apartment, she wondered if she ever would see it again, somehow she doubted it. She hoped that Verya would take care of it while she was away, there was still much food left in the fridge and she didn’t like the idea of anything going to waste. She saw that Narriar was a bit restless, he wanted to go home, to see if his people were safe and unharmed and he missed them but he was also worried about their mission. He had no idea if they were heading into something that was more or less a suicide.
Verya showed up half an hour before Ravenne and Narriar was to be picked up, she appeared to be a bit nervous but she hadn’t even passed the doorstep before she instantly understood that something had happened between Ravenne and Narriar. She stared at them both with slack jawed amazement. “Ravenne? Don’t tell me that you have? Oh Valar, you have!!”
Ravenne just swallowed hard and Narriar was staring into a wall as if it held the answers to the great questions of life. Verya held her hand in front of her mouth, stared at Ravenne’s neck. “Rav, for goodness sake! Hide that bite mark you have beneath your ear, or else there will be a lot of very serious and embarrassing questions, believe me!”
Ravenne twitched and turned around, found herself a shiny surface and looked at her own reflection. Yes, she did have a mark there and it was very visible. She swore and rushed back into her room, found a shirt with a high collar and she even put some make up on it. She saw the smirk on Verya’s face when she returned and Narriar was pretending to be completely innocent, to little prevail. Ravenne sighed and handed Verya the keys to the place. “I don’t want to find a mess when I return.”
Verya nodded. “Don’t worry, I will keep it tidy. Just…just return alive ok?”
Ravenne tried to smile but it became an awkward grimace. “I will at least try!”
Verya shrugged and then she hugged Ravenne rather hard. “It is an order damn it, don’t do anything stupid. I wish I could follow you but I have to stay here.”
Verya turned to Narriar, he appeared to be a bit nervous. “You, you take care of her right? Watch her back you big oaf, hear me? She is a very nice elleth and I would hate it if anything happened to her!”
Narriar just bowed his head. “My life is hers, I will watch over her to my last breath.”
Verya just blushed. “That serious ha? Good to know, I bet you have gotten yourself one hell of a protector now my friend.”
Ravenne sent Narriar a glance filled with love and smiled. “Yes I guess I have!”
They had sent a car for them and this time Narriar didn’t mind being blindfolded but he was still shivering during the drive and Ravenne held his hand tightly. They drove to an abandoned ware house, it was apparently ready to crumble under its own weight but it was all a disguise. Ravenne took a deep breath and she tried to calm herself down. They entered and she could see that they all were assembled. The rest of the group had put on some strange suits that looked almost like the armors of old, she had seen the same design in the museums and she liked the fact that they had been made thinking of their long cultural history. These were not made from metal though, at least not normal metal. They were made from Kevlar, carbon fibers and a strange alloy which allowed the material to change its properties within the blink of an eye. It could go from being soft as satin to be steel hard in just a fraction of a second and it could also change color and appearance to work as camouflage. It was high tech made to look like the armor of old and Ravenne liked it a lot. Right now the suits were black and it made them all look rather scary. They stared at Narriar and he bowed his head. “You are ready?”
Elrohir nodded and Glorfindel grinned, he looked nervous. “As we ever will be.”
Ravenne got a suit and some underwear and she went into a small room to get changed. She braided her hair tightly and stared at her own reflection in a broken window. She suddenly looked dangerous, menacing even. She returned to the group, they had two large wheeled trolleys with equipment and on one of them she could see a body bag. They were bringing Hithiar’s body back so that he could be buried by his own. It was a very nice thought and she sighed and saw that Narriar had gotten his boots back and he had also gotten a new loincloth. Erestor had given him a couple of swords he now carried across his back and he appeared to be thrilled by the gift. They were also very beautiful and special and Ravenne knew that this expedition would rely on both the newest technology and the weapons of old. Magon and Gwan stood by the biggest trolley and it looked as if they had brought enough weapons and explosives and other equipment to start a third world war. It wasn’t a very comforting thought that they’d might need it. Vayana stood there and looked uncomfortable, she was pulling at the collar of her suit making grimaces and Ravenne hadn’t yet decided if she liked the elleth or not.
A wizard had come to send them to Lithui and he appeared to be rather young, Ravenne hadn’t met him and he bowed to her and smiled. “My name is Dhiarban, I am an apprentice of Olorin or Mithrandir as you know him.”
Ravenne was impressed, then he probably knew what he was doing.
The wizard smiled and blinked at Ravenne.”Your father and daeradar had an small revelation, they thought that the attacks came from one place in Lithui due to the different rotation of the worlds and we have discovered that they were right. The leaders have worked with the problem for days, it is somewhere up north but we are not yet sure of exactly where and the pattern has been broken after the attack on Tirion. Now they happen all over the place but we guess that this requires more of the one who sends the monsters through, it has to be harder to do so whoever it is they are getting more desperate and in greater need for food. You have to act fast.”
Glorfindel grasped a sword from the trolley and came over to Ravenne with it. “Here, take this, it is for you. I remember how you fight and I think this will be perfect for your style.”
Ravenne took the sword and pulled it out of its sheath, she was stunned. This was so sharp it would have split a falling hair and it didn’t look like any blade she ever had owned. It was very narrow and rather long and it had an almost undetectable s curve. It looked dangerous, like a sleeping predator just resting before its next kill. Glorfindel smiled. “It reminds me of you Ravenne, the same elegance and the same hidden bite”
She realized that this was a very ancient blade, there were runes written on both sides of the blade and she had no idea of what they said. This sword was precious, probably priceless and she could not really wrap her head around the fact that it was for her. “Glorfindel, this is an ancient sword, valuable! Why don’t you keep it for yourself?”
He shook his head. “I know it will serve you well, and I do already have two good swords. They have seen battle before and I trust them. I think this one will be perfect for you.”
She let her hand slide along the blade, it was so elegant and she felt a strange thrill, she had never owned anything like this before. “What does the runes say?”
Glorfindel shrugged. “I am not sure, but I think the text is something like ;draw me not without cause for my thirst is great.”
Ravenne swallowed. “That isn’t the name of this thing?”
Glorfindel shook his head. “No, the name is as far as I know Deathseeker. I think it was forged for the war of wrath but I do not know if it was used.”
Ravenne bit her lower lip, this was a dark blade, she could feel it. It had been used, she was dead sure of it. It had tasted blood and it was craving for more. Perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing after all, she could use that.
Luin entered, he looked nervous and she could see that Haldir was rolling his eyes, he looked comfortable in his suit and perhaps he was the only one of them who appeared to be looking forward to this. Luin smiled and clapped his hands. “I really admire your courage my friends, I wish you the best of luck.”
Glorfindel went over and took Luin’s hand, shook it. The colony leader went a bit pale, Ravenne had to hide a smirk. She knew that Glorfindel had a grip like a vice and he was using it for all it was worth now. “Thank you, too bad duty ties you up here on earth, I am sure you would have made a fine contribution to our expedition!”
Luin swallowed and looked rather nervous and Gwan whispered to Ravenne.”The only use we would have for that guy would be as bait!”
She had problems containing her laughter. Dhiarban smiled but his eyes were serious. “Come now, gather around me, I have to do this soon while the stars are in the right places.”
Luin almost sprinted out again and Narriar smiled to Ravenne, his eyes were shining and she knew that he was eager to get back home. The wizard nodded. “Ready?”
Haldir smiled and petted his bow, he had a quiver filled with arrows and two swords and she could see several other blades on him too. He looked like a walking arsenal. “Let’s go!”
Glorfindel grinned and Narriar stared at the wizard. “Exactly where will we end up?”
Dhiarban took a deep breath. “I will if the fates allow it send you to a glen just outside of your tribes camp area, there is a huge rock in the middle of it.”
Narriar grinned. “Yes, I know that place. It is just a couple of minutes away from the main camp. Perfect.”
The wizard smiled and raised his staff. “And now everybody, close your eyes, and do not open them again until you feel stabile.”
Ravenne made a grimace and Narriar came over, grasped her hand and held it tightly. “It is alright meleth, relax.”
She closed her eyes and Dhiarban started to chant something that sounded rather ancient. There was a sudden gush of ice cold air and she shivered and felt as if everything was shaking and turning itself upside down. She held on to Narriar’s hand and felt nauseous and dizzy. She could hear Vayana moan and someone who had to be Erestor was gulping rather loudly. Then there was a sudden jolt and she almost lost her balance, the air around her was cool and filled with strange scents and she could hear that Narriar took a deep and relieved breath, he was home. “You can open your eyes now.”
She did and blinked a few times. She now knew why this world was knows as the land of shadows. Above her was a sky unlike anything she had ever seen, she just gaped and stared at a sight so beautiful and strange she barely was able to understand what she was seeing. There was no moon up there, no sun. Instead a huge nebula shone right above them and spread a soft eerie light over a landscape that appeared to almost glow in the faint colors of the starlight. There were stars spread across the skies and they were shining like a million small suns. She was stunned to see that the plants and landscape itself had completely different colors than what she was used too. The trees weren’t green, they looked almost black and they had silvery leaves which were dark on one side and shiny on the other. It appeared that this was the case with most plants there. She could see hills and mountains and they looked so wild, so new. This was a rather young world and she could feel its energy, it was young and reckless and wild, untamed. Here anything could happen and it would too.
Narriar was grinning, he stared at the stars and she could see that his eyes were glowing now. The deep dark shadows and the weird dusk like light was natural for him, he could see just as well as they would back home and she swallowed and knew that she was in a different world now, with different rules. He waved his hands. “Come on, it is just down this hill, a few minutes to walk. I will go enter the camp first and then I will call for you to follow, I do not want to startle anyone.”
The others just nodded and started walking, pulling the trolleys behind them.
It went downhill and after just a little Ravenne could hear voices and smell smoke, Narriar turned around and caught her gaze. “Wait here, I will call for you”
They nodded and he disappeared into the deep shadows underneath the trees. Ravenne felt the trees here just like she would back home but these were different, not as placid and slow thinking as the trees she was used to. These trees seemed to be more awake in lack of better words. She just hoped that this would end well, she would hate it if this world also suffered from the things these monsters did.
Narriar almost ran through the familiar forest and he reached the rim of it and slowed down, walked out into the open. Everything appeared to be normal, his tribe was busy doing whatever they usually did and he took a deep sigh of relief. If anything was wrong he would have noticed it right away. He let out a loud shout to tell everybody that he was there and heads turned and many looked a bit confused. He hadn’t been expected to return for yet a couple of days and where was Hithiar? And he wore different clothes than before? Narriar stopped in the middle of the circle of huts, he took deep breath as the adults started to gather around him. Eyes stared at him and his warriors did notice the scars on his belly and the darkness in his eyes and some moaned. A couple of females let out loud piercing cries, he had to bow his head helplessly. One of the other ellyn walked up to him, placed his hand on his shoulder and pressed his forehead against Narriar’s in a gesture which expressed compassion and respect. “My chief, what happened?”
Narriar lifted a hand, everybody fell silent. “My ashim and me were attacked by terrible monsters, something which we have never seen before. A most horrible new danger has awakened and we did not stand a chance. I was close to dying but the monsters went to earth to search for people to eat and the magic they used brought us with them. Elves there saved me and they are trying to find the enemy and destroy it in its lair.”
The warriors looked worried. “We have heard nothing of such but the forests have been strange these last days, there are dark voices whispering, and the animals are nervous.”
Narriar sighed and nodded. “It will come for us too, sooner or later. And then we will all die if we cannot stop it. I have been chosen to lead a group of elves from Aman, they will try to find the source of this and destroy it.”
Some warriors grinned, their smiles crooked. “Aman elves? Are they at all able to fight?”
Narriar smiled again. “These are, believe me. “
He turned around and shouted and Ravenne and the others appeared from the forest. The tribe stared at them with wide eyes and Ravenne suddenly felt like some weird animal in a zoo. Many stared at her white hair with disbelief and she suddenly realized that there weren’t any blondes there. They were all dark, and they all had green eyes. Narriar’s were a bit lighter in color than those of the others but otherwise from that many had black hair and their skin was dark too. Ravenne had to grin to herself, these were indeed moriquendi. She tried to look as friendly as she could and she tried not to stare in return. The males only wore loincloths and high boots, the females were mostly barefoot and they wore some simple dresses embroidered in discrete but elegant patterns. They had their hair braided in patterns it had to take hours to create and they looked beautiful and strong. There were children running around everywhere and Ravenne had to smile to them, they were all adorable and looked very happy and carefree. The warriors looked impressive, she noticed that Narriar was the tallest there by perhaps an inch but very few of them were less than two meters tall. She saw that many of the ellyn had that long thin braid and she turned around and saw that the huts were almost invisible. They looked like small mounds of soil covered with grass. There were some fire pits and poles had been erected to dry hides on, other than that there were few signs that showed that someone actually lived there. It looked very tidy and she was a bit impressed.
Narriar continued to explain what had happened in his own language and Ravenne could see that many were crying now, she understood that the loss of Hithiar was deeply mourned. She saw that two ellith stood by themselves sobbing and they both had a child by their side. It was no doubt that these were Hithiar’s offspring cause they both looked a lot like him and Ravenne had to swallow hard when she saw the expression in their eyes. They knew that their father was gone, no doubt about it. Narriar had tears in his eyes, he was talking very slowly and Ravenne tried to listen but she did not understand a single syllable. The language was just as melodic and beautiful as other elven languages but the words completely alien to her. Just a few could perhaps be understood and she was glad he spoke sindarin fluently.
Narriar went over to the trolley with Hithiar’s body, Gwan and Magon lifted the bag down with obvious reverence and with a lot of respect. He said something and some of the females and a couple of males came and carried the body off. He turned toward the expedition. “We will mourn him tonight, there are ceremonies that has to be followed. Tonight there will be sorrow as well as joy.”
Ravenne just nodded and Narriar grasped her by the hand and suddenly she was pulled with him into the middle of the crowd. She gulped and tried to look calm but it was hard. She noticed that she in fact was taller than most of the females there and they stared at her with something akin to awe. It had to be her eyes, and her colors. Narriar said something and many gasped and stared at her with wide eyes, some of the females looked a bit shocked but also filled with respect and some even dared to come close and touch her hair. Ravenne stared at Narriar. “What did you say?”
He smiled at her. “That from now on I am only yours, that you are a warrior and very strong and that I am deeply honored to be yours.”
She had to grin. “Very well, then the ellith won’t try to seduce you anymore?”
He nodded. “Pretty much yes.”
She had to grin. “Great, no competition!”
He kissed her forehead lovingly and she saw that many found that surprising. “Nobody can compete with you. That is a fact!”
Glorfindel sighed, he looked a bit nervous. “So, now what?”
Narriar was thinking fast. “Put up your tents over by that huge tree, it is the best place here. I will send out runners to the other clan’s when we have finished the ceremony. We cannot send anyone before it is over with, everybody should be allowed to be here and mourn Hitiar and show him their last respects.”
Haldir looked even more impatient than Glorfindel but he nodded. “That is good, I understand the value of that but afterwards?”
Narriar sighed. “Then they will go and gather information and I will seek out the old elleth and see if she has some information we can use. Then we coordinate what we find out and then we head up north. It was there I and Hithiar encountered those monsters so I would guess that that’s where we will find them if those wizards are right.”
Glorfindel nodded and went over to Elrohir and Erestor who were staring at some maps, they took out the tents and put them up in a small circle, they were small and dark and hard to see. The children were gathering around the strangers with wide eyes and it was obvious that these kids never had faced anything except unconditional love and support for they showed absolutely no fear and Ravenne almost envied them this state of pure innocence. Vayana was all smiles and she even played a little with the kids who took an instant liking to her. Ravenne immediately found that she after all liked the elleth.
Narriar spoke with some of the members of the tribe, he was obviously giving orders and Ravenne could see that the females were running around preparing something. They carried bowls of food and cloth and some were gathering firewood. They built some sort of platform and Ravenne realized that these people did burn their dead. She stared up, the stars hadn’t moved a lot, how did these people count time, was there at all a night and a daytime?
Elrohir came over and he too stared up. “I have been here a few times and I never stop to be amazed by that sight. It is amazing. Astronomers on earth would sell their souls for a view like that!”
Ravenne nodded. “Without a doubt, it is so pretty. “
He sighed. “It makes you feel darn small doesn’t it? Almost like a grain of sand.”
Ravenne turned her head and stared at him, she had huge problems separating between the two twins and she was glad only Elrohir was there with them. He was the most serious of the two and he was very intelligent although a bit introverted. “It makes me wonder how many worlds there really are out there.”
He grinned. “Don’t even go there Ravenne, the very thought can drive anyone insane. Just accept that there probably are many.”
She had to laugh. “Right, will do!”
The expedition repacked their equipment and Gwan and Magon checked the weapons. Ravenne saw that they had brought some rather hefty stuff and knew that they were trained to use them too. These two ellyn would provide the firepower and she knew that the expedition had at least a small chance. She bit her teeth together and hoped that she wouldn’t be the weakest link. The platform was built and she saw that they had placed things within it and not just wood. It probably was Hitiar’s personal belongings and some also placed other things on it, probably gifts for the afterlife. Narriar came over and kissed Ravenne rather openly. “I have to go an prepare, it will start soon.”
She nodded and he left, followed some of the other ellyn into a hut which was placed on the outside of the circle. Vayana came over and stared at Ravenne with a bit of shock in her eyes. “Tell me, are you two a couple?”
Ravenne could just nod. “Yes, we are bonded, hard to explain but I guess we have been born for each other.”
Vayana made a strange grimace. “Damn, that is unusual. I have heard of such cases though. I just hope for your sake that this doesn’t end in disaster.”
Ravenne had to grin. “It won’t, we will make it I am sure.”
Vayana sighed. “I wish I had your confidence Ravenne, this is scaring the living daylights out of me!”
Ravenne just nodded and Vayana grinned as a couple of adorable children grabbed onto her hands and dragged her off, probably to show her something.
Ravenne stared up, a very huge star had appeared and it had to be what marked the daytime in this place, its faint light did in fact create shadows and it was very beautiful to behold. She saw that some ellyn came carrying Hithiar’s body on a stretcher. They were crying and they did nothing to hide that fact. Ravenne realized that this people never concealed how they felt, to them that would be dishonest. Someone had done a marvelous job with Hithiar’s body, the wounds had been stitched up and covered and the sight was not as gruesome as it could have been, still it made her cringe. They had washed and braided his hair and covered the body with symbols that had been painted onto him. Many walked by and touched the body and said something that had to be prayers. The two children were brought forth too and they were bawling. Ravenne thought that it was a bit cruel but then again, in this world death was a common guest. They had to get used to it and perhaps seeing that their father indeed was gone was the best way for them to cope with it. Narriar and the other ellyn returned, they had added paint to their tattoos and the result looked a bit strange but there was an alien beauty in the bizarre patterns.
Narriar was crying and Ravenne and the others from Aman took some steps back, gathered in a small group. They could just observe now, not interfere. The entire tribe was gathering, they started to chant something very melodic and sad and Narriar and the other warriors started to walk around the platform very slowly. For each round they placed a piece of wood into the structure and Narriar shouted something very loud and almost commanding for each round. Elrohir whispered to Ravenne. “He is calling out for the spirits of those passed, he is asking them to come and welcome their brother, accept him among them.”
Ravenne nodded and felt how her own eyes were stinging with tears. Narriar’s voice was trembling, thick with emotion and the females were giving out loud shrill sounds while the males shouted something in a heavy almost hypnotic rhythm. It was a scene that was both beautiful and frightening in a way. It had a sort of primitive energy to it, something untamed and ancient and strangely pure. The warriors circled the platform until it was completely filled with wood. Then a female came forth carrying a huge jug and she poured the contents out over the wood. It had to be something flammable, and the crowd stepped back. Someone handed Narriar a torch and he grasped it with trembling hands. He gasped and Ravenne wanted to go to him, hold him and comfort him but she did not dare to interfere with the ceremony. He bent down, kissed Hithiar’s forehead in a very loving manner and he then cut a lock of his own hair and placed it in his ashim’s cold hands. The other warriors did the same, cut off some hair and came forth one by one and laid it in Hithiar’s hands.
Ravenne thought it was almost beautiful, so heartbreakingly sad and yet it felt right. These people did really live out their emotions every second of their lives. Narriar started to shout again, it was almost a sort of song and Elrohir whispered again. “He is telling the spirits of how brave his ashim was, how he lived and what deeds he did.”
Narriar stopped and just stood there for a few seconds, head bowed. The others were silent too and then he put the torch into the wood. There was a whoosh and the entire pyre was ablaze, everybody backed away and started chanting again, Ravenne saw a lot of tears and now they all started moving around the pyre. They were almost dancing and she saw that they all appeared to be almost in a sort of trance. “They are dancing his soul home”
Elrohir appeared to be very moved and she saw that Erestor was staring with his mouth half open, he looked very fascinated. The dance became wilder, faster, they were spinning around and hair and cloth were flowing through the air as they touched hands and reached towards the skies. The song and the sound of the dancing feet was making Ravenne almost dizzy, she wanted to join in but did not know if she should. The children were dancing too and she saw that Narriar lifted a couple of little girls up and danced with them clinging on to his waist. He grinned at them and they squealed and laughed and did probably not understand the situation. They could not be more than a handful of years old and he appeared to love children, they all did. Ravenne had to smile while looking at them, he spun around just to make the girls laugh and there was both joy and sorrow in his eyes.
The tribe continued to dance for a while, until the pyre burned down. Only ashes were left and not even bone was to be found. An elleth gathered the ashes into a basket made from woven twigs and carried it off, Ravenne stared at her as she disappeared among the trees. Elrohir sighed. “She is the one responsible for this part of the burial, she is old and wise. She will spread the ashes out into the woods so that it can become one with it once more. They come from the forest and to the forest they will return.”
Ravenne sighed. “A beautiful thought”
The tribe gathered once more and Narriar wiped off his face, he tried to smile. “The sorrow is dealt with, now over to something far more enjoyable.”
Ravenne looked puzzled. “What?”
He smiled. “An initiation, it would have happened today even if we hadn’t come here now. It is a reason to celebrate.”
Ravenne frowned. “I do not understand?”
Narriar smiled, they walked towards one of the huts, it had been decorated with some beautiful but strange pale flowers. “A female has reached maturity and is ready to start her life as an adult. She has chosen a male she likes and they will make love, there is a good chance that she will conceive too. Most do that when initiated. It is the one time in her life when she is almost guaranteed to become with child.”
Ravenne just shook her head in disbelief. “Ah, that sounds a bit…weird!”
Narriar just shrugged. “It is the way, it has always been done thus. Being chosen by that female is considered a great honor and responsibility.”
She stared at him, bit her lower lip. “Have you ever been chosen?”
He grinned and nodded but there was sadness in his eyes. “Twice, my second and third child.”
She swallowed, caressed his hand. “I am sorry!”
He just gave her a sad smile. “It is the past now, I still miss them but I know they are safe among the spirits of our beloved ones.”
She couldn’t answer to that and just squeezed his hand. She did see that the crowd was awaiting something. Three ellith came out of the forest, two appeared to be older experienced ones but the one in the middle looked young and a bit nervous. She was clad in a white dress without any markings on it and she was blushing slightly. The three of them stopped in front of the hut and they whispered to each other. The young one nodded and called out a name and one of the males stepped forward. He was blushing too, but he looked very proud although very nervous. Narriar grinned. “Poor bastard, he’d better perform well or he’ll be the laughing stock of the entire tribe for the next year.”
Ravenne had to giggle. “So the girl choses the male she wants to be with?”
Narriar nodded. “Yes, with some helpful advice from the older ellith. They know the males well and knows who’s gonna do the job well.”
The two ellith were chanting something while they threw what had to be pollen onto both the young elleth and the male, then the couple was more or less pushed into the hut and the rawhide door closed behind them. The males of the tribe left but the females remained standing around the hut and they sang something rather loud and shrill. Narriar had a crooked grin on his face. “If those two can be heard in spite of that racket it is a good sign, in special if she screams so loud she drowns out that infernal chanting.”
Ravenne felt her cheeks burn. “But won’t it be painful for her, I mean, If he really is her first?”
Narriar blushed, he looked a bit embarrassed. “Ah, well, the ceremony of initiation last a week for a female. This is the last piece. When she emerges from that hut she is an adult and has to act as one too. The first thing that happens is that the healers bring the girl into the woods to a special place where only the females are allowed access. We males don’t even know where it is. They will tell her old secrets which only the ellith are allowed to know and they will make her drink some brews that allow her to see her spirit animal and talk to the spirits.”
Ravenne made a grimace. “Right, that is rather common in some cultures back on earth too. “
He nodded. “She will know what her adult name will be then, and over to your question, hmm, that is a bit, what shall I say, weird in the eyes of someone outside of our people.”
Ravenne frowned. “Ok? How?”
Narriar stared down, he looked very embarrassed indeed. “We are a people of the forest, to us that is everything, the thing that nurtures us, holds our spirits, takes our lives and gives us reason to live. The ellith doesn’t regard us ellyn as worthy of deflowering a maiden and we wouldn’t do it either, no male of our people would ever hurt a female, even by being her first lover.”
Ravenne cocked her head. “Really? Then how?”
He swallowed hard and she could see that his ears were turning red. “This is awkward, normally only the females talk about this. Ah, in that secret place there is a sacred tree, or rather two trees that has grown into each other, they are wrapped together and can never be separated. That is the great mother and father tree, we regard it as the parents of the forest, the start of everything and it is very sacred to us. When a baby is born the placenta is buried in front of the mother, as a sacrifice.”
Ravenne just shrugged, the customs of this people were weird but it was nice that they regarded the forest with such respect. Narriar scratched the back of his neck, his ears were burning red still. “The father tree is what the ellith refer to as their true mate, they sacrifice their maidenhood to the tree.”
Ravenne gaped. “What? How is that possible?”
Narriar lifted his hands. “Whoa, this is something I have been told right, I haven’t seen it with my own eyes. It would be sacrilege. But two of the roots of the huge tree meet and a piece of a third root has been carved down right there, into…well, a very naturalistic looking…manhood!”
He wasn’t looking at her at all. Ravenne just shook her head in disbelief. “So they…do it with that?”
He nodded. “Yes, while still in that trance, I guess they just sit down on it, letting it penetrate them and remove their barrier. If they enjoy it at all I don’t know but to the females it is a sacred rite, it will ensure that they become fertile and has easy births and healthy children. When it is done the older ellith will take the girl to a hut where she has to stay for a week without leaving it, they will teach her everything she needs to know about being an adult and then it is ended as you see now.”
Ravenne turned her attention back towards the hut again, the females were still chanting but she could see that they were grinning. There were some sounds coming from the hut which made it very clear that both inside of it were enjoying themselves, a lot. Narriar smiled. “She will be blessed, I am sure of it. Just listen, she will want to repeat this as often as she can”
Ravenne giggled. “Yeah, no doubt about that. “
Narriar kissed her cheek. “Wait here, I have to send the runners out.”
He turned around and gathered some of the ellyn, he spoke to them and they nodded, grasped some weapons and left the camp without saying anything. Narriar returned to her and he looked worried. “They will be back in a couple of days, but the tribe of Gwhyym we are trading with hasn’t been heard from in many days. I don’t like that.”
Ravenne looked at him. “So, what are we to do now?”
He smiled. “We rest for a while and eat and then we will head out into the mountain, I am sure we can find the old wise one within a day or two.”
Ravenne smiled. “Great, we have to get going as soon as we can.”
Narriar shouted an order and the fire pits were lit and some brought some meat placed on stakes. It was to be roasted above the fire and Ravenne made a grimace. She wasn’t so sure if she was looking forward to this meal. The rest of the expedition gathered too and Gwan and Haldir wanted to tag along and help looking for that old elleth. Narriar let them and Ravenne could see that they both were exited to go out there and explore. The meat was slow roasting and Ravenne was surprised by the taste. It had been rubbed with herbs and tasted amazing and Narriar grinned when he saw how impressed she was. “We have good cooks you see, this world has many spices and we know how to use them!”
Ravenne had to grin. “I understand that now!”
She stared into the fire and could not help but wonder how things were back home, were her family safe? Were they even alive? She closed her eyes and prayed that they all were ok. She did this for them, for them all. If they were dead it was all for nothing, the gods could not be that cruel or could they? Narriar saw her expression and squeezed her hand tightly, he nodded slowly. “They are alright Rav, just believe, don’t give up hope.”
She smiled and tried to sound confident. “I won’t, ever!”
Back in Aman the first light of day started to appear above the mountains, Thranduil and Oropher had just gotten out of bed and neither had slept much. They felt tired and scared and they didn’t look forward to the last part of the journey at all. Legolas was already down in the stables, he was telling the stable workers to prepare their horses and Thranduil hoped that they could get a couple of extra mounts. He and Oropher were finishing a rather quick meal when they heard shouts. They rushed outside and saw that the guard standing on the wall above the gate was waving his hands. “There is a group of riders coming!”
Legolas came running and Thranduil and he ran up onto the wall, stared down the valley. It was indeed a group of riders, perhaps forty and even from a distance it was rather clear that many were injured. Many were walking too and Thranduil estimated that it had to be almost a hundred elves in all. These were refugees, but there were no safe places to be found. Oropher yelled an order. “Open the gates, gather the healers if you have any. We have incoming wounded.”
The warriors opened the gates and a few riders left the main group and rode fast up towards the city. Thranduil recognized one of them, he bit his teeth together and Legolas saw a few lines on his father’s face that hadn’t been there before. He had no idea if it was a good sign or a bad one. The riders rushed through the gate and stopped their horses, a couple of them were wounded and they were all bloody and their eyes haunted and dark.
Thranduil walked down the stairs and the riders saw him, some of them looked a bit shocked. “Aran Thranduil, we didn’t expect to see you here?”
Thranduil bowed his head, his eyes were as cold and calculating as they always had been when he was meeting someone as a king and his voice smooth but flat. “Neither did I expect to meet you here Celeborn?”
Celeborn gasped and Legolas could see a hint of pain in his eyes, his tunic was bloody and he was leaning too much to his left side. “We had to flee, all of us. The monsters, they just killed everything they saw.”
Thranduil saw the genuine fear in the eyes of the other elf and some of his antagonism died down, he had never liked Celeborn and the other members of that family but he guessed that the situation was so bad that they shouldn’t hold on to old grudges. “You are hurt?”
Celeborn groaned and leaned towards his panting horse. “It is not that bad, there are those among us who are worse. We barely managed to escape, those lights sent from earth were our salvation, the monsters feared those.”
Thranduil stared at the group, he recognized several of the elves in it and he got a freezing suspicion. “Your wife?”
Celeborn appeared to be close to collapsing and Oropher grasped him and held him, Thranduil could see that the ellon was close to passing out. “In the convoy, she is badly hurt, please, help her!”
Oropher lowered Celeborn to the ground, healers were running out from the buildings now and the front of the convoy reached the gate. Thranduil had a weird sensation in his chest, if anyone as strong as Galadriel could be hurt by these beasts then nobody was indeed safe. Not even the Valar themselves. Suddenly the square was a chaos of desperate elves and Legolas and Vegylion screamed orders to the soldiers to take the horses and help those who needed it. Galadriel lay on a stretcher behind a horse and she was unconscious and pale, she was breathing very shallowly and Thranduil shook his head in disbelief. She had always been so strong, so adamant. If anyone was strength incarnate it was her and here she was, broken like some fragile vulnerable thing. He saw that one of her maids stood by the stretcher. “What happened to her?”
The elleth was pale and bloody and her eyes were just too large, she was in shock. “A monster, my lady was fighting like an ellon but it was too fast, a claw hit her, pierced her.”
Thranduil lifted the blanket covering the once so mighty elleth and he cringed, he turned away and swallowed hard. She was not going to make it, the wound was mortal and he felt like screaming in rage against destiny itself. Was everything after all coming to an end? Why did those who once were strong, who fought and won against the very darkness itself fall victims to such thoughtless evil? It wasn’t right, it just wasn’t right!
One of the warriors following the convoy bowed and hawked. “We have lost almost two hundred soldiers, the beasts followed us. And the country is burning my lord, they have attacked almost every city and village. The number of dead is unfathomable. We hoped to find shelter in the mountains.”
Thranduil stared at the group assembled there, tired wounded scared elves. People who had lost everything, even hope itself and he felt a burning rage rush through his veins. This city was no safe place, not any more. He made a decision and could see that Oropher already knew what he was thinking about, his father nodded his head slowly and Thranduil took a deep breath. “Good people, listen up. This is no safe place, they will come for us all if we stay here. But back in my home there is shelter, if the gods are good we can find safety there.”
Legolas swallowed. “It is going to be hell getting everybody there alive. What about the wounded ones?”
Thranduil had straightened himself up. “Nireariel and the others can help them, it is their only chance. We have to use all the horses and wagons in this place but if we do nothing everybody will die”
Legolas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Alright ada, what do you want me to do?”
Thranduil smiled. “Get the inhabitants here ready to leave, tell them to travel light, and the warriors must carry weapons. We have to move fast so don’t let anyone bring anything that isn’t absolutely needed. “
Legolas looked serious but he turned around and started giving orders to the warriors, the city was to be evacuated and Thranduil just prayed that he hadn’t put everybody in mortal danger with this decision. But the monsters would soon forget about their defeat and come for Tirion too and they could not face another attack there. They were too few, it would be suicide. Perhaps leaving was just as suicidal but at least they were trying to save as many as possible.
Thranduil grabbed onto one of the warriors who had followed Celeborn. “Do you know anything at all about the cities, Valmar and the harbor?”
The soldier took a deep breath, his face was a bit green. “I think the bigger cities has managed to keep the monsters out, but they cannot hold back for long.”
Thranduil closed his eyes for a second, he hoped that as many as possible would survive this. He nodded. “Very well, help the others.”
He sat down on the stairs and felt tired, would this be the end of everything? He wished to see Nireariel again, if only once. He wanted to hold her in his arms, kiss her and tell her how much he loved her. His heart was aching for her and he swore that if he died he would seek her still, Mandos could call him until he went hoarse, he would not leave for the halls until he had seen her again and knew she was safe.
In the afternoon the convoy was ready to leave and now it was much bigger. It would move slowly and the warriors were armed with the strange lights from earth and they all knew that this was it. They would reach New Greenwood or die. Thranduil had given his horse to some children and he saw that all the other ellyn had done the same. They were on foot and he touched the hilt of his sword and whispered a short prayer. Ravenne had to find the source and destroy it, he put his faith in his feisty daughter now and her abilities. “Remember who you are penneth, remember what you can do!”
He started the long walk back home and knew that he would face the enemy as a king and if the gods demanded his life he would face death too as a king. He would not go down without a decent fight and with his father and son by his side he knew that they would make the enemy bleed first.
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In a land of shadows